This + That: Peachy Duds

Here's a new feature on the Gyaru called This + That. I'm going to take two things (or maybe more?) that go together in some way whether they're from beauty, fashion, design or anything! Today's This + That is titled peachy duds because I have two similarly colored lip products that I didn't particularly care for individually, but really sing when paired together.

First up is the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Charm. This pale peachy nude color was just a little too light for my skin and lip tone resulting in what I will refer to as porn star lips. I also found the formula a bit dry and it clings to any dry spots on your lips and looks patchy.

My issue with the Urban Decay Pocket Rocket in Max wasn't so much about color and formula, but the scent/flavor. It's a caramel-y cookie kind of flavor that I'm sure many people will love, but it's just too cloying for me.

Together these two products pair really well together. The gloss solves any dryness issues and gives Charm a little more color and shine to just make it work. Of course I'm still not a fan of the flavor, but I feel like it's a lot more bearable when my lips look amazing!

Spending Ban Haul

Remember that spending ban I was on? You know the one from less than a month ago? Well... it hasn't been going all that great. I bought a couple of things which I'm not proud of, but apparently I just can't resist a good sale!

Bifesta Cleansing Express - This is a cleansing water that is supposed to be better than Bioderma. I was at Mitsuwa (Japanese grocer store) over the weekend and saw it was on sale for $10.99 so I picked up a bottle. Hey - I'm just trying to save money here!

Fringe Holder - This is the pink Hello Kitty looking ribbon on the lower right. I wanted to try this ever since I saw something similar on Jen at From Head to Toe. It's basically just the grippy side of velcro and it keeps hair out of your face when you're cleansing or putting on makeup. I have super thick hair so while it does the job, it just somehow doesn't look quite right. Also on sale at Mitsuwa for $3.99.

Anastasia Kisses On My List - I was thinking that I didn't have enough lip glosses in my collection, but now I have way too many. I picked this up at Nordstrom Rack for $15 and I think the original price was $30. $15 for 6 glosses is cheap! The three shades on the right side are color adjusting so they change a little after application and they are GORGEOUS! The only thing I don't love is the plastic wand/spatula type applicator.

Zoya Polishes in Cho, Katherine and Tracie - If you want to get technical, these were free. There was a deal on Zoya to get 3 free polishes, all you need to pay is shipping. So there, I paid $10 for shipping, not on any beauty products. I was slightly annoyed though because shipping is usually $6.50, but they upped it to $10 for this offer! BAH! But I really like Zoya polishes and I'm very pleased with these three colors.

Maybelline Limited Edition Baby Lips - This was my one "allowed" purchase because I had been looking for these since before the ban. I just could not find these anywhere in store and had to resort to ebay to get them. They were a little pricey at $6.50 each, plus $1.50 for shipping, but I figured it was probably the same as wasting gas driving around town looking for these. Expect a separate updated Baby Lips collection coming up soon.

So that's it! My ban is back in full force. Although I did purchase a Diptyque candle on HauteLook this morning (half off!), but I don't think candles are really beauty products even though beauty bloggers talk about them all the time. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

The Importance of Being Bronzed

L to R: Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick, Wet n Wild ColorIcon, Benefit Hoola, Milani Bronzer, Too Faced Aqua Bunny

Up until about a year ago, I owned zero bronzers. I mean, as a medium/tan complexioned individual, I really didn't see the point - I'm already naturally tan! But I was completely wrong. Bronzer adds so much warmth and dimension to your face no matter what your skin color is. I've realized that the point of bronzer isn't really to look tan, but just healthy and glowing. Matte bronzer also makes a great contour, giving the impression of a more sculpted and slimmer cheeks, nose and chin. I still consider myself a bronzer newb, but here is my collection.

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Beach - This was my very first bronzer purchase and since it's quite shimmery and pinky, it probably makes a better highlight or blush than a true bronzer. The swatch above is just all of the stripes blended together, but you could definitely use a small brush or your fingers to pick up each individual shade. 

Wet n Wild ColorIcon Bronzer in Shell-A-Brate Good Times - This was an impulse purchase, but I had heard great things about Wet n Wild bronzers. The powder is very soft and kicks up quite a bit. There is some shimmer and you can use the lighter part on it's own as a highlight. 

Benefit Hoola - Whenever I see this color it just reminds me of milk chocolate! Hoola is a cool toned matte brown that works best on light/medium skin tones. The effect is pretty subtle on me and I could see that it might look too muddy on others. Because Hoola is matte, I like this one as a contour.

Milani Bronzer in #01 Light - Another fairly matte bronzer (perhaps more satin?). This one is quite a bit darker than Hoola and also leans a tiny bit more orange. Great as a contour and for all over bronzing.

Too Faced Aqua Bunny Cream to Powder Bronzer - This is probably the most orange of the bunch, but it doesn't really translate that way to my skin. I've been using my Real Techniques Buffing Brush to apply this and love the effect. I find the enclosed brush too thin and flimsy and I'm not sure how you're supposed to use it. This is also waterproof if that appeals to you.

What bronzers do you recommend? I know everyone raves about Nars Laguna and that is definitely on my list. 

January Ipsy Glam Bag

My first Ipsy bag has arrived! If you're not familiar, MyGlam Bag rebranded as an Ipsy Glam Bag late last year and I had been hearing raves ever since. I was subscribed to MyGlam Bag about a year ago, but quit after a few months because their products were a little meh and there were quite a few brands I've never heard of. Now, trust me, I love discovering new brands, but these just seemed a little too "sourced in China" if you know what I mean. The subscription is only $10/month and each month you get a makeup bag, rather than a box. I'm sort of drowning in both makeup bags and boxes so we'll see how that works out. On to the contents!

SOHO Concealer Brush - I think it's really difficult to make people happy with a brush because people are just so picky about them. Personally, I'm not that picky so I think this is just fine. Last year, MyGlam rather infamously sent out brushes over the course of a couple months and people went nuts bashing them. So all I can say is, this SOHO brush is a big improvement.

nailtini Nail Lacquer in Frappe - I'm happy I received this color (the other was a true red) because I've been looking for some neutral polishes. It's actually surprisingly hard to find opaque neutrals. I'm not sure if this one is that opaque though. I'll give it a go after I take my dogs for a walk.

Josie Maran Argan Oil - I already have the full size of this, but I'm glad I got a mini - the cap on my big bottle is a little wonky and I'm afraid it will leak if I take it anywhere. You can use this on your face, body, hair, anywhere! I use this on my face as a night moisturizer and I really like it. I think the full size bottle is $48, but since you only use a couple drops at a time, it will last forever.

Big Sexy Hair Spray & Play Volumizing Hairspray - I'm starting to get quite a stash of mini hairsprays as I NEVER use them!! The only time I use hairspray is after I curl it to hold the curl longer.  How else do you use hairspray? Why do you use hairspray?

Pacifica Tuscan Blood Orange Body Butter - I love orange, so this scent is right up my alley. The perfect size tube for keeping at your desk or by your bed. Ever since it's been really cold in LA (by "really cold in LA" I mean, 60's) and we've had the heat on, I've been going through body creams like a mad woman.

Finally, we have offers from all of the featured brands, which is bloody genius! I don't know why other subscription services don't do this. I guess Sample Society kind of did with their $15 off coupons. I think offering a discount with the sample is the best way to generate a full size purchase, which in the end is what I'm sure they're hoping for.

Oh and I forgot to mention the actual bag. It's rather unassuming this month - just navy nylon. The inside is super adorbs though with a stitched in ipsy tag and white stars and dots on a blue background. I have to say, I'm very happy with Ipsy and can't wait for next month!

Secret Outlast and Clinical Strength, Plus a Ramble

I don't know why I was thinking about this, but I remembered reading an article in the New York Times a few years ago about a new trend in bathing. Well maybe it wasn't so much a trend because I'm sure they were talking about a very small group of people and it really wasn't about bathing, but more about NOT bathing. The article, called the Great Unwashed, is still available online and you can check it out here. 

I guess the whole point of this is that I have a confession: I don't always bathe every day. There I said it. Every other day at the very least, of course, but I feel like I can be a pretty objective judge of my own cleanliness. It seems pretty acceptable now to not wash your hair every day, but the same can't really be said of showering. I work in an air conditioned office, drive an air conditioned car, live in an air conditioned house and don't work out every day (not necessarily a good thing). All of this adds up to me not getting dirty or sweaty or even being outside! But of course, these are just my opinions.

The one thing I am fastidious about though is deodorant. I just said I don't sweat, but that was kind of a lie because I do get sweaty underarms. I sweat when I work out, but I also sweat due to anxiety or stress. I was just talking to my mom about this and telling her how unfair it is because I am literally the only person in my family who wears deodorant on an every day basis. Can you believe it?? I am telling you that my mother, father and twenty-something brother do not wear deodorant and they do not sweat or smell!! So see, showering and shampooing and deodorant wearing and whatever else really is on a case by case basis. I'm just assuming (hoping) you can be a judge of your own case. The same cannot be said of an intern I had several years ago, but that's another story...

Well that was a huge ramble and I wish P&G were paying me for that treatise, but sadly they are not. And hey, did I tell you I switched deodorants recently? Ta dah!

I picked up these Secret Outlast deodorants at Target the other day for $4. I mentioned before that I had been using Dove for years but was looking for a change. I can't say with 100% certainty, but I do feel like switching things up has been a good move. I use the Outlast during the day and a few times a week I will put on the Clinical Strength at night after I shower. I tried Clinical Strength in the past and I also used Certain Dri, but I'm quite capable of sweating through both of them! They're okay, but I don't know if they're worth the price if you are a heavy sweater. I need to pay a little more attention before I can deliver a verdict. I'm not sure if exercise sweat is really a fair judge because I will absolutely sweat when I have a good work out. On the other hand, it's hard for me to anticipate stressful situations and when one comes up, I'm so well, stressed, that I don't notice my underarm situation! Odor actually isn't really an issue with me and for a long time I used unscented deodorants (or I guess they're really anti-perspirants). With that said, I quite like the scent of Completely Clean which is clean (duh) and fresh without being powdery. I smelled the Sport version at the store and I think it was similar, but a bit stronger. I prefer solid formulations because I don't like the feeling of cold liquid or gel on my underarms and I don't want to wait the few seconds for it to dry. I just take a little extra precaution if I'm wearing dark colors, even though they are supposed to be clear. By the way, I remember reading a tip that if you do get deodorant on your black shirt, you can rub it off with a nylon stocking. Handy!

Wow that was a long ass post. I was going to put up a poll asking how often you shower, but I can't figure out how to put it on just on the post, so I'll ask you to leave a comment. How often do you shower, wash your hair and do you wear deodorant?

Kate Somerville ExfoliKate

Whoa, please excuse the super crappy photo and dog hair covered blanket! I've been meaning to write this review forever because I am super excited about Kate Somerville's ExfoliKate!

I received this sample in a Sample Society box and I wish I knew how big it was, but I already threw it away. In any case, this little tube lasted me about four uses. At first, I wasn't sure what to make of this because I was expecting a scrub. Yeah, don't even ask. I don't know why I was expecting a scrub, but I guess I just equated "exfoliating" with a scrub. The actual treatment looks kind of like a green mud mask with tiny, fine, sand-like particles in it. You just apply it to a wet face in a circular motion and you can wash it off immediately or leave it on for up to two minutes. I leave it on for the two minutes and my face gets a little tingly, but nothing major. Then you wash it off and you are left with the most glowing, baby soft skin ever!

ExfoliKate contains lactic acid, fruit enzymes and salicylic acid to polish and exfoliate the face. In addition to softer, brighter skin, their website also claims that the addition of rosewood and cinnamon extract helps to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. There are also acne and gentle versions available if they should fit your needs better. My one gripe is that it is super pricey! But I think it's totally worth the money. Speaking of money, does anyone see anything odd here...

 Let's do the math. 0.5 oz is $19, but 2 oz is $85? That makes no sense at all! You can buy 4 x 0.5 oz bottles for only $76. That's a savings of $9 over the 2 oz bottle for the same amount!

As a sales and marketing analyst, stuff like this just drives me nuts! Oh well, after my spending ban is over, I am definitely going to buy the full size - or more likely, four half ounce tubes!

Holiday Haul

I hate that word - haul. I really need to think of something else. I thought I'd do a post about some of the things I purchased over the holidays. I need to reminisce, especially now that I'm on a 3 month beauty spending ban! Now that I think about it, I really should have organized my items by store, but instead I grouped them by type. Oh well, here goes nothing...

First up is a bunch of lip glosses. I realized that my lip gloss collection was seriously lacking as I've been more into lipsticks and balms recently. I purchased the Tarte Maracjua Divine Shine Lip Gloss set during the extra 20% off sale at Sephora so 5 full size lip glosses were only $24! The Stila set I bought with an extra 20% off coupon at Ulta. There are 8 glosses (a little less than half the size of the Tarte ones) for $20.

I had been eying this Korres Goddess Glow set for a while so I snatched it up when it went on sale at Sephora. It comes with a base, mineral setting powder and blush in Apricot. The apricot color makes a nice natural blush on me, but would probably be a great bronzer on lighter skin tones. I also like the primer which has a nice lotion-y texture.

I needed more shampoo like I need a hole in the head, but I picked this up because it was on sale at my local Japanese grocery store. I think it was $20 for 500 ml bottles of shampoo and conditioner and a treatment. I can't wait to use this because it smells AMAZING! Now, what's a nuance airy?

Finally, some miscellaneous items. Two Sephora eyeshadow duos and a pink hair extension from Sephora. The last thing I need are more eyeshadows, but I am a sucker for khaki and plummy brown colors. The hair extension is pretty fun and stays in really well. I wanted to buy more colors, but even the sale price ($9, marked down from $18) is kinda pricey. While I was in Vegas, I also got a mini shea body butter and lip butter from the Body Shop. All of their holiday sets were half off so this was something like $6, I think.

That's all! How sad, my last beauty haul for the next three months. I hope I survive!

MAC Stereo Rose

 L to R: heavy, sheered out

Alright, I've done it. I've bought into the hype and promptly ordered MAC's Stereo Rose on Christmas Day. First of all, can I just say that MAC's shipping is kind of slow? I know I ordered it during the holidays, but I didn't receive it until January 4th! I was going to wait to do a collective holiday haul post, but I just couldn't wait any longer!

I'm not really sure what to say about Stereo Rose, because it's pretty much all been said. It is a Mineralize Skinfinish, retails for $29 and every time MAC has it in a limited edition collection people go crazy buying it. Currently Stereo Rose is party of the Apres Chic collection that was released around Christmas. I don't think the craze is as well, crazy, this time because while it was sold out on the MAC website, it was still available on Nordstrom.com. 

The color is a coral with gold veining. At first I thought it looked better suited to spring/summer, but after wearing it, I thought it was very appropriate for "Apres Chic" because it gave me those rosy, "just came in from the cold after a day of skiing" cheeks. To be perfectly honest, I really wasn't that blown away by the color. Immediately after application, I just feel like it looks too frosty/sheeny. I'm not sure if the sheen fades quickly or if I just get used to the look, but I find it much more tolerable even 15 minutes later. Speaking of fading, I also find that Stereo Rose doesn't last particularly long. I noticed significant fading after about 3-4 hours and since I was at home over the weekend, I topped it off (which I NEVER do!). 

L to R: MAC Stereo Rose, Nars Orgasm, Benefit Coralista, Sleek Guipure (from the Lace Blush by 3 palette), NYX Terra Cotta, theBalm Frat Boy

People often talk about dupes for Stereo Rose so I thought I'd check my own blush collection to see if I had anything similar. Nars Orgasm is much pinker and has visible gold flecks. Initially, I thought Benefit Coralista was the most similar, but now I see it is much lighter and slightly pinker. Sleek Guipure is probably the closest dupe I own, but it is much more golden and a little more orange. NYX Terra Cotta is much browner and not nearly as sheeny. And finally theBalm's Frat Boy is obviously matte and far more pink.

Bottom line - do you need Stereo Rose? I'm going to say no. Honestly, if I just saw this in the store, I doubt I would have bought it. But what can I say, I bought in to the hype! I will absolutely be able to use and wear Stereo Rose, but I would have been able to live a full life without it. 

November/December Empties

How the heck did I get through so many products in September and October?? This round of empties is super pathetic in comparison. I think there will be more coming up though as I have decided to attempt a 3 month beauty spending ban. I have so much stuff that I could probably go all of 2013, but I'm going to start small and try for 3 months. I bought some stuff over the holidays, so hopefully that will hold me over!

Coppertone NutraShield Dual Defense Sunscreen - Technically this one isn't empty. It expired over TWO YEARS ago!! Check your sunscreen expiration dates people! I liked this one though because it wasn't super thick like the Neutrogena ones.

Love & Toast Clemetine Crush Sugar Scrub - I loves me some body scrub. I got this on clearance at Target for like $3 and I loved it. I should have bought more! Very scrubby and smells delish.

Clarisonic Refining Skin Polish - I got this body scrub in a set with my Clarisonic. Unlike the Love & Toast one, this is not very scrubby, but I guess it was designed to be used with the Clarisonic body brush head. Speaking of the body brush head, I like it alright, but I feel like you get better exfoliation with a scrub or even a body pouf.

Mario Badescu AHA & Ceramide Moisturizer - This is a really tiny sample that I used while I was in Vegas. I found it very moisturizing, but a bit heavy.

Clinique All About Eyes - This lasted me forever! I really like this and want to try the rich version. In my opinion, it's a bit much for day time use (or I'm too impatient to wait for it to sink in!), but great for night.

Kate Somerville ExfoliKate - I still want to write a review specifically about this product because I love love love it! It is so amazing and leaves my skin baby soft. Too bad the full size costs $85!

Kracie Ichickami Shampoo - I already talked about this before. Smell great, but only meh results.

Method Mandarin Mango Hand Soap - Smells so fruity and juicy. It's hand soap though, what can I say?

VitaCare Multicare Toothpaste - I got this in an Eco Emi box earlier last year and finally got around to using it. At first, it was kind of weird because the mint pomegranate flavor is not as minty as the Crest I was using before. I also thought it was interesting that it proudly states "NO FLUORIDE." Huh?? I thought fluoride was good for you. I did some research and people say that fluoride is a toxin and was originally used at rat poison. WTF! Now I am confused and don't know what to think. How do you feel about fluoride?

December Glossybox Part Deux??

Okay, so this is really weird. I opened my front door and there was ANOTHER Glossybox on my doorstep! What?? It's waaay too early for the January box, considering I just got my December box about a week ago. I opened it up and it was another December box. I checked my credit card and I was only charged once, so I guess I should just say thank you? Some of the items were different and here they are.

OC 8 Professional Mattifying Gel (full size $30) - At first I thought this had a really weird smell, like incense, but now that I smell it more, it seems more like a faint Bengay scent that disappears pretty quickly. This is supposed to be used after moisturizer, but before makeup. I quite like these for days when you don't want to powder.

Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Heat Protect Spray (full size $23) - I was a little disappointed by this because I thought this was a dry shampoo. It's basically a heat protectant hair spray and I rarely use heat or hairspray!

ModelCo. Lip Duo (full size $39) - Now I'm pretty sure I was sent this box by mistake because I actually received this product in the past. I like it, but I will probably just give this one to someone else.

JewelMint ($29.99) - And finally, another JewelMint piece. This time it's like a little jar on a chain. It's cute, but again, I feel like I could get something similar for $5 at Forever 21.

Thanks for the bonus box Glossybox!

Curry (kare) or Cream Stew Pan

And now for something completely different... a recipe!

My mom said she was making Japanese curry the other day and then suddenly I got a hankering to try and make homemade curry pan! Pan means bread in Japanese (from the French, pain) and curry (or kare) pan is commonly sold in bakeries across Japan. Usually it is fried, so it's really more like a donut stuffed with curry. I don't really like to fry things at home, so I thought I'd attempt an easier, healthier baked version. It was actually super simple if you have left over curry. I love curry pan, but I actually like cream stew more than curry, so I thought I'd try and make a bun version of that too. It was delicious! Both are best eaten fairly quickly as the outside doesn't stay crispy for long.

Curry (kare) or Cream Stew Pan

1 package refrigerated biscuits (I used Pillsbury Grands - Original)
1 1/2 cups (approx.) refrigerated, left over curry or cream stew
1 egg, beaten
panko bread crumbs
Pam or other oil spray
flour

Pre-heat over to 350 degrees.

Lightly flour your workspace and roll out each biscuit to about a 6" diameter circle.

Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of curry or cream stew into the center of each dough circle.

Fold over dough and pinch edges together to close. Pinch well to keep curry from leaking out.

Brush with egg wash and dredge in panko crumbs.

Spray cookie sheet and each pan with oil.

Bake for approx. 15 minutes until golden brown.

Enjoy!

I was really surprised by how crispy these turned out considering they aren't fried.  It's a great way to use up leftovers. If you're not familiar with Japanese curry, it's much milder and sweeter than Indian or Thai curries. At out house, we just make both curry and cream stew with the roux blocks that you can buy at any Asian store. In a pinch, if you just want to make the bread, you could probably also use the single serve instant packets.